Sugar

[Lazyreefer]

Sugar

Guys,

Its been 1 week. I see very few changes. The biggest change is my protein skimmer works 4 times harder. I would imagine that my nitrates are down . Everyone else's nitrate have gone done at this point. I do not know cause I have not measured nitrate in about 8 years. Phosphates I did not measure b/c they can be at 0 and still have phosphates in your tank. It reads 0 cause the hair algae is absorbing it. At this points I do not have any more hair algae but I do not have any less either.

 

[Russ Braaten]

Maybe what we have learned is that being a "LazyReefer" is NOT the way to go. Bwahahahaha

I know you don't over feed your tank. If anything you under feed it in my opinion. The only huge change you have had is the amount of sunlight. Your tank is in a very bright room.

One way to fix the algae problem would be to pull out algae EVERY DAY and weekly water changes.

One thing that everyone in the marine tank world says to not do is to occasionally do the old sand cleaner syphon.

When I had this problem I syphoned a small area of the sand when I did my water changes. To me it only makes sense to remove crud and maybe even remove some of the bacteria before it dies on it's own??

 

[Lazyreefer]

One way to fix the algae problem would be to pull out algae EVERY DAY and weekly water changes.

Does not really work that way. If the hair algae is under say 2 inches or less there is nothing to grab. I also purchased a nice steel brush. If the rock is stable the steel brush worked. You have to scrub hard though. The bad news......... that steel brush is now solid rust after 3 uses.

And as for as the weekly water changes........... well you know me.


Doug

 

[Lazyreefer]

A positive!

I have 2 carpet anemones and both look much happier. They were doing good before. But now their color is more vibrant and both are about 20% bigger.

 

[captbunzo]

To make this experiment a little more reliable, we need some variable (or set of variables) that you can test....

 

[Lazyreefer]

Yeah.. thats why I was trying to get those scientist involved. But they are as lazy as me.

 

[Lazyreefer]

I am adding my 5th teaspoon of sugar in now. I am noticing that some hair algae is turning slightly yellowish. It was a dark green. Could this mean that it is being robbed its food source?? Let us hope.

 

[Lazyreefer]

After 10 days or so I am noticing more algae turning a light green as opposed to dark green. Protien skimmer is still working hard and smelling bad. One other note is that a large rock about a 10 pounder has broken out with red slime algae.

 

[pwhitby]

Doug,

what sugar are you using? Is it table sugar?

P.

 

[Lazyreefer]

Here is a pic of the lighter green algae.

 

[Lazyreefer]

Yes, I am using table sugar. That's what the guy was using in the thread I read. I am not sure if there is a difference between sugar and vodka? I would guess they both turn to glucose??

Doug

 

[Wildstar1063]

I am using table sugar as well. I thought about using honey,
it's fructose I think.

Chuck E.

 

[Lazyreefer]

Chuck,

How long have been using sugar? WHat type of tank? WHat have you noticed good or bad??


Thanks

 

[Wildstar1063]

Only since Nov 2nd. I have a little 1/8 teaspoon measure and I'm
currently using 5 of those per day. I started with 1/8 teaspoon and
have worked up.

Currently I have noticed the algae getting lighter, and white in
some areas, also I noticed a lessening of some red slime that
grows in my fuge (funny it never gets in the display).

My skimmer is really putting out the gunk.

My tank is a 55 and my sump is a 55. My skimmer is a
cheap little co-current thing run from a wood air stone
and a Tetra Luft pump, I built it from just plain old
PVC plumbing pipe. I need to convert it to counter
current someday, but it works pretty good for now.

There is more info in this thread I believe it's about
the third post, if you want to look back.

Chuck E

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

Table sugar isn't the original intent. Many people have resorted to using table sugar as a misunderstanding of the word "sugar". That's why you kept hearing me say "simple sugar". The use of Vodka, Ethanol, and Glucose. See the Definition of Sugar. But, I would venture to guess that table sugar would eventually break down and be used by organisms as well. I would just hope that it is readily used. If it takes time to break down, then you could accidently overdose as the amount of sugar builds up before it gets a chance to break down.

 

[Wildstar1063]

Before I started trying this, I read several threads, both on reef
central and at reefs.org, and I didn't fing one that was not using
table sugar.

Where can one get glucose?

Thanks

Chuck E.

 

[TimV]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8627144#post8627144 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis L. Stevens
Table sugar isn't the original intent. Many people have resorted to using table sugar as a misunderstanding of the word "sugar". That's why you kept hearing me say "simple sugar". The use of Vodka, Ethanol, and Glucose. See the Definition of Sugar. But, I would venture to guess that table sugar would eventually break down and be used by organisms as well. I would just hope that it is readily used. If it takes time to break down, then you could accidently overdose as the amount of sugar builds up before it gets a chance to break down.

Sucrose isn't going to readily break down on its own. However, most bacteria that I'm aware of uptake sucrose and glucose through the same transporters and simply break down sucrose into glucose and fructose through sugar invertases. In other words, it probably doesn't matter which you use.

T

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

If that is the case, what would you recommend would be easier for bacteria to break down? Corn Syrup or Table Sugar?

 

[TimV]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8634509#post8634509 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis L. Stevens
If that is the case, what would you recommend would be easier for bacteria to break down? Corn Syrup or Table Sugar?

Corn syrup is mostly glucose, with some fructose usually. However, glucose is considerably less soluble than sucrose. It also is so viscous that there would be far more variation in dosing and dispersion in the tank than there would be with a sucrose addition (especially if you predissolved the sucrose). This all having been said, I'm still skeptical of this whole sugar dosing scheme.

T

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

I'm still not a big fan of it to be used in most tanks, but it would still be nice to know what readily available source of sugar would be easier to break down for bacteria. Do you have any ideas of what you could simply find at a grocery store that would work?